Bumblebee flies

Iain Murray looks set to win handicap honours

Bumblebee at the start

A tremendous sailing performance by the crew of Sydney 62-footer Bumblebee 5 has placed the yacht in a near unbeatable position to take IMS Overall handicap honours in the 57th CYCA Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Iain Murray steered Bumblebee 5 across the line at 12.46 (local time) on Saturday afternoon, setting up a big gap on corrected time back to Graham Gibson's Ninety Seven and Syd Fischer's Farr 50 Ragamuffin.

Ninety Seven, a line honours winner in 1993 and the yacht most likely at this stage to threaten Murray's chances, has yet to reach Tasman Island. Ragamuffin rounded the Iron Pot, at the entrance to the Derwent River, at 5.10 on Saturday afternoon, flying a spinnaker, but struggling to maintain boat speed in the light airs.

Iain Murray, designer and skipper of Bumblebee 5, made the most of this morning's building north-easterlies to cross Storm Bay and sailed under spinnaker to complete the 11 nautical mile final leg up the Derwent River.

Murray said he was delighted with the yacht's performance. The winning formula, he said, was a good crew, a tried and proven boat, good skills, good navigation and a well-prepared sailing boat. We sailed the boat aggressively and confidently. Although the yacht was a retirement in the 2000 Sydney Hobart Race with a damaged keel, this year's race prove the perfect accompaniment to a highly successful season of racing, including the Southern Cross Cup and British Trophy Regatta, raced on Sydney Harbour in mid-December.

Also on Saturday afternoon the International Jury met in Hobart to consider a request by Tyco for redress relating to a decision by the Sydney Hobart Race Committee to score Tyco as Did Not Finish (DNF).The Race Committee decided to score Tyco as DNF after the yacht failed to meet a mandatory safety check-in with Race Control within the time limits when abeam of Green Cape, approaching Bass Strait.

The Jury did not grant the redress sought and the decision of the Race Committee is to stand which means that Tyco will not be scored in the Sydney Hobart Race results.

The DNF will not effect her status in leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Sydney to Auckland, via Hobart.As of 6pm saturday (1900GMT), 12 yachts had finished the 630 nautical mile race, the latest arrival being the American entry Icon, under owner skipper Richard Robbins, which crossed at 4.42pm. There are 47 yachts still at sea with Komatsu Blue Lady estimating her race finish time as late on January 1.